Friday Favourites

This week's Friday Favourites: nail polish, nail polish remover, and a bronzer for the palest of skins.

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry nail polish

I included 'In a Heartbeat' (the nail polish on the right) in my summer pinks edit here but I wanted to include the brilliantly curated range in my Friday Favourites because these pastel polishes really are wonderful. I honestly don't remember the last time I was this impressed by a budget nail polish. I was umming and aahing about trying them at first, but having seen so much love for them on the blogosphere, I went for it. The wide brush makes application easy. Each coat dries in under two minutes, leaving a smooth, shiny finish.

Barry M 'Eat My Dust'

The application is on me - I was tired tipsy. It was after my Dad's birthday tea and I'd had some rather lovely beer and cake.

I'm wearing 'Eat my Dust' here, a creamy pale blue. It's started to chip a little after two days wear but I didn't put a base coat or top coat on, and I think it'll last at least 5 days with them.

£3.99 each, available at Boots and Superdrug

Bourjois 1 second nail polish remover

I love dippy pots of nail polish remover. They're so much easier to use than cotton pads and a bottle of remover and they don't result in oodles of polish-stained pads and a feeling of despair. A dippy pot is fine for fingers, but what about toes? I had to resort to the cotton pad method. Until I found this. This dippy pot includes a round sponge on the lid to use on toes. The remover works fast and actually helps strengthen my nails thanks to the addition of panthenol (vitamin B5), tocopherol (vitamin E) and sweet almond oil.

£5.99, available at Boots and Superdrug

L'Oréal Glam Bronze in Golden Sun

Summer is right around the corner and I think it's time to get my bronzer on. My pallid skin reflects light in photos, making me the shiny vampire of the group photo. I avoided contouring for ages because I've seen it give beautiful women the same identical unnatural hollowed cheekbones and weirdly slimmed down nose. I've also seen it done so badly that it looks like desert camouflage. Long ago I accepted that I would never have the more Mediterranean complexion of my mum and my sisters, but a little bit of warmth from contouring makes my face look less moon-like. I'm much more appreciative of it now that I've found one that doesn't make me look like an oompa-loompa. L'Oréal's Glam Bronze in 'Blonde Sun' is neither offensively orange nor muddily brown, and its matte finish makes it perfect for contouring or giving a sun-kissed glow. A quick swoosh is all I need because this soft, velvety powder is very well pigmented. Powdering the area you're going to bronze makes it easier to blend - powder goes streaky on just-moisturised or damp skin. Packaging-wise I'm not fond of the brush that comes with it (it's too scratchy) but the flip-up mirror (on the underside of the bronzer itself) is very useful for on-the go-bronzing. 

£7.99, available at Boots and Superdrug

Happy Friday!

Thanks for reading x